1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a bottle such as a wine bottle or the like in which a liquid such as wine or the like is contained. More particularly, the present invention relates to a bottle of the foregoing type wherein a cylindrical cap, having a small thickness and one end closed, is fitted onto the top having a pouring port formed at the foremost end thereof so as to allow the liquid to be poured therethrough.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, a wine bottle has a pouring port formed at its top to allow wine contained therein to be poured through the pouring port, and a cylindrical metallic cap having a small thickness (hereinafter referred to simply as a cap) is fitted around the top of the wine bottle, not only for the purpose of shielding the wine from environmental air but also for the purpose of maintaining the top in a clean state at all times for sanitary reasons. Generally, lead has been used as the metallic material for the cap because it is soft and easily expansible, and moreover, it can easily be cut by actuating a coil-shaped wine opener, a knife or a similar tool.
The cap made of lead is usually thrown away as a waste after it is removed from the top of the wine bottle. In recent years, it is increasingly and globally recognized that lead should not be used as a raw material for the cap to prevent the natural environment from being contaminated with lead, lead oxide or the like.
At present, however, no metallic material well competitive with the lead with respect to cost and physical properties is available on a commercial basis. If lead can not practically be used as a metallic raw material for the cap, it is obvious that there arises an inconvenience that any other metallic raw material employed for the cap will be inferior to the lead with respect to cost and physical properties of easy cutting and excellent pliability. When a metallic material having poor pliability is used as a raw material for the cap, cap fitting is performed at a low efficiency, and when a metallic material having a heavy thickness is employed as a starting material for the cap, material cost is unavoidably increased. Given the above circumstances, a metallic material other than lead having excellent pliability has been employed as a raw material for the cap, although it is cut with some difficulty.
In addition, it has been found that when a cap made of a metallic material other than lead having some pliability but having no possibility of contaminating the natural environment is removed or disconnected from the top of the bottle by hand, there is a danger that the hand may be injured or hurt by a sharp edge on the foremost end of the cut cap.